Havanese

[buckaroo]

Anyone heard of this bread of dog? As the owner of a rather large Maltese dog, I've been told by my groomer that Ernie might be a Maltese/Bichon rather than a full breed Maltese. The old Ern is a pudgie 19 pounds, well over the norm for a Maltese. So, I've been looking and have found some rather interesting things. First off, I'm sure that my buddy Ernie isn't a full breed Maltese. Way too big for that, but he's such a cutie. So I looked up Maltese/Bichon and found that the Bichon family actually has five different breeds with the Maltese being the smallest of the breeds. Bichon Frise is the breed most think about when you mention Bichon, but there are also the Bolognese and Havanese and another breed that I forgot. All of them are about the same size, a slightly larger size than the Maltese...but still smaller than the old Ern. So, if Ernie is a Maltese/Bichon, he's a bit large there as well. (side note: the breeder gave us papers on Ernie with the CKC which will recognize the Bichon/Maltese) I've come to believe that Ern is the Bichon/Maltese, large size, but I've also seen some other breeds that he could very well fit, most especially the Maltapoo. Now he fits well into the size limits of that mixed breed.

But I digress as the subject of this thread is Havanese. Back to my question, has anyone heard of this breed? Basically, they are a Bichon that has colors other than white. What a beautiful dog they are and one that I'd love to own. Their price is the same as one would pay for a good Maltese, or Bichon and that is anywhere from 800 to 2,000 dollars. Seems that the price of animals is also going through the roof.

 

[Guido]

Dang, Buck!

Didn't know he was that big. Matese are only supposed to be around the 6 to 8 pound size. Phoebe went up to almost 8 pounds one time and she looked like a sausage. Got her back to around 6 1/2 to 7 pounds and she was just about right.

I am thinking that if Ernie is up to 19 pounds, he must be a mix of Maltese and that Bitchin Frizzy breed.

 

[kat2220]

This adorable breed boasts the distinction of being the Cuban national dog breed. The only true Cuban breed, the Havanese is thought to be a member of the Bichon family, which originated in the Mediterranean and includes more popular breeds such as the Maltese and the Bichon Frise. It is thought that ancestors of the Havanese may have traveled to Cuba at the time that the Spanish were exploring the Caribbean. It may also be that the Havanese is a cross between the Bolognese and a small Poodle. Although the Havanese is new to the AKC and CKC, the breed has been in existence in it's native Cuba for centuries as a treasured family pet. Through the years, the Havanese has been bred for companionship. It's gorgeous good looks and endearing personality make the breed a wonderful house pet. A Toy breed, the Havanese ranges in height from 8-1/2 to 11-1/2 inches and weighs from seven to 13 pounds. He has large, dark and appealing eyes. The non-shedding coat is long, soft and wispy with tufts or curls at the ends. The breed comes in a rainbow of colors, from white to shades of cream, champagne, gold, black, blue, silver, chocolate or any combination of these. The plumed tail is carried over the back.


How curley is Ernie's coat? I suspect poodle/Maltese with that weight. The Bichon is not that heavy. Molly weighed (at most) 8 lbs, and her AKC papers said she was a purebred.